


Geronimo

by Stratagem



Series: Family of Fuzzballs [1]
Category: Trolls (2016)
Genre: Dreamworks, Dreamworks Trolls, Family Fluff, Gen, Trolls (2016) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-08
Updated: 2017-04-10
Packaged: 2018-08-29 21:08:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8505424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stratagem/pseuds/Stratagem
Summary: When giants move into the trolls' valley, Branch and Poppy, plus their three kids, have to decide to either leave or stay. A fluffy sort of sequel to Dreamworks Trolls.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is set quite a few years post-movie, so Poppy and Branch are definitely a thing, though. You know. Too Cute. So it's Poppy and Branch PLUS kids! Troll family!

Nobody throws a pool party like a troll. Or well, in this case it was a pool plus waterfall party.

The music was thumping through the forest as the village youngsters rocked out at Cascade Leap, their favorite place to hide from chores, lessons, and their parents. Outside of the troll village, Cascade Leap was series of waterfalls that were perfect for jumping off of, straight into a pool of crystal clear water. The bottom of the pool was covered in brightly colored stones, and the younger trolls loved challenging each other to see who could find the best gem.

One troll in particular prided himself on his ability to dive deep and grab the shiniest stones, and at the moment he was scrambling around at the bottom of the pool.

His older sister wasn't so pleased.

"Where is he?" Magnolia asked, leaning over the side of one of the waterfall ledges. She was a sixteen-year-old troll with mint green skin and light pink hair. Unlike most of the other troll kids, she kept her hair partially tamed with a braid that wrapped around her head like a crown while the rest was free. The circlet was fitting, though, since she was a princess and everything. As the eldest child of Poppy and Branch, the queen and king of the trolls, she was next in line for the throne. Magnolia put her hands on her hips and tapped her bare foot on the ground. "I swear, if Bramble drowns, Dad is going to kill him."

The little troll sitting at her feet grinned up at her. "If he's drowned, wouldn't he already be dead? So Dad wouldn't have to worry about the whole killing him thing?"

"You know what I mean, Rosie."

"He's gonna be fine." Rose, or Rosie as everyone called her, was youngest out of the royal pack, only seven years old. She had her mother's pink skin tone, complete with sparkles, but her hair started blue at the roots then faded to purple then bright pink. Right now her hair was soaked and flat against her head, except for a random tendril that was trying to poke Magnolia in the leg. She didn't exactly have a handle on her wild hair, and it tended to do its own thing, much to her mother's laughter and her father's consternation. "He's cool like that."

"There's nothing cool about putting yourself in danger."

"Maaaggie, he's just swimming!"

Magnolia primly raised her chin in the air. "Dangerously. Dangerously swimming. He doesn't even have a floatation device just in case something goes wrong."

"Ugh…" Rosie loved her sister, she really did, but sometimes her mother-hen worrying was enough to drive her crazy.

Down by the pool of water, other young trolls were goofing off and waiting for Bramble to come back up. A few girls were giggling and splashing their feet in the shallows, obviously hoping that the prince was going to give one of them whatever bauble he found.

"It's been too long, I'm going after him," said Magnolia, getting ready to jump off the waterfall ledge. She was just about to launch off the edge when Rosie hopped up and tugged on her sister's elbow.

"There he is!" she said, bouncing on her toes and pointing toward the pool where bright blue hair was shooting up from the surface. The troll's hair wrapped around a branch above the pool and then Bramble exploded out of the water, holding not one, not two, but three gems in his hands. There were excited shrieks from the girls and a few of the boys chanted Bramble's name as he swung over and landed at the edge of the pool.

"Don't you dare clap," Magnolia said, not even looking over at Rosie.

The younger troll glanced at her sister and then let out a whoop instead. "What?" Rosie said with an innocent smile as Magnolia glared at her, "I didn't clap."

"Come on," Magnolia said, heading over to the carved steps, "I have a brother to fuss at."

Because that sounded like so much fun. "I'll meet you down there." Not that Rosie really planned on that. Heading farther up the waterfall to where Kid Diamond and Twizzle were playing guitars and singing was a way better option. While Magnolia went one way, Rosie went the other, climbing up the vine ladder that led to the next level.

Far below, Bramble handed each of the girl trolls a stone, a smug grin on his hunter green face. "And one for you, Lily."

"Thank you," the yellow and orange troll trilled as she took the gem. She held it up so it shimmered in the afternoon sunshine. "It's like a shimmery glittery thing!" Okay, so Lily wasn't exactly the best at metaphors…

"Yeah, and I think they're hollow," Bramble said, taking the gem back from her for a moment so he could toss it into the air, demonstrating how light it was.

"Mmm, hollow like your head?" Magnolia asked as she stepped onto the beach. Around them, the music softened a little, but the party continued. A bickering match between the two eldest royal kids was an everyday occurrence. Bramble's adventurous nature didn't exactly mesh with his sister's polite and poised personality.

Bramble's good mood deflated like a popped balloon. "I thought you had a princess tea party this afternoon or something, sis."

No, that was scheduled for tomorrow. Seriously, her siblings were so disorganized sometimes. Honestly, she was the only one who had inherited their dad's attention to detail. Her brother and sister were much more like their mother. "I thought I'd stop by and check on the party and make sure you weren't doing anything stupid."

"You mean something awesome," Bramble said with a smirk. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Diving contests aren't stupid."

"And he's good at them," Lily piped in, "Come on, we're all just having a good time."

"Turn up the music!" Bramble called, pretending to not see Magnolia as she held up her hands, intending to lecture him some more. Nearby, the DJ spun the turn tables, and the volume rose back up in a fast, loud beat. "Forget all that princess stuff and have some fun, Maggie!"

Magnolia rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help smiling a little. Bramble could drive her crazy, but he was exceptionally good at throwing dance parties. All around them, young trolls were swaying and skipping and swinging around, enjoying the catchy tune. Trolls swung from vines and dove into the water, and above them, more trolls leapt from the tiers of the waterfall into the pool below, striking poses as they fell. Before long, Magnolia found herself swept up in the music, dancing by the water with her friends.

The music was suddenly pierced by a whistle, one that the troll kids knew all too well. It was the Warning Whistle, which meant everyone was supposed to take cover. Immediately, the party was abandoned as young trolls used their hair to pull themselves out of the open and camouflage into their surroundings. In a matter of seconds, the party scene was abandoned as if it had never been. Or, well, almost.

Up on one of the waterfall tiers, Rosie's hair was in full on rebellion. "Oh come on!" she begged her long multi-colored hair as it burst into a shimmer of various colors, finally settling on black and white zebra stripes with polka dots. "Not again…"

She could've probably managed to hide among the flowers even with her wacky hair, but it spazzed out further by shooting out toward the ground and pushing her over the edge of the waterfall. She squealed before she cannonballed into the water, creating a glittery splash.

Surfacing, she spat out a stream of water and growled at her hair, trying to brush it out of her face as she drifted toward the shore. Someone plucked her out of the water, and when she managed to shove her hair up, she saw her dad was the one holding her, looking wide-eyed and harried. "Hey, Daddy. Did you see that? I meant to do that!"

"Do NOT do that again," Branch said. He hugged her and then sat her on the ground, looking her over as if checking for injuries. At the same time, he gave the all clear whistle so the other kids and teens could come out of hiding. Like usual, Rosie was lucky that it had just been another safety drill. "Are you all right?"

"Mhmm," Rosie said.

"Good. Let's go." Branch tugged on her hand, heading toward the trail back to the village.

"Wait, Dad, the party isn't over yet."

"It is for trolls who need more camouflage practice."

"Noooo…"


	2. Chapter 2

The forest hummed with activity as Branch and Rosie made their way home. Birds darted overhead while critters and crawlers roamed around, peaking at the two trolls as they went by.

"Can we go the long way?" Rosie was skipping in circles around Branch, burning off some of her seemingly boundless energy. While she didn't really want to go home and practice camouflaging, she wasn't going to whine about it. That just wasn't in her nature, and besides, she liked spending time with her dad.

"I don't know," Branch said, looking uncertain, "It's going to be dark soon, and we should get home before sunset."

Rosie darted to his side and tugged on his hands, her eyes becoming big and pleading. "Pleeeeeaassseeee? We don't have to take the long long way, just the long way. It'll be fun. And we can pick berries!"

"Aw, come on, sunshine, not the face."

She poked out her lower lip, and Branch knew it was over. Oh, well, what exactly was he supposed to do against that? Branch tried to keep a stern look on his face, but it crumbled as she suddenly hugged him. "Okay, okay, you little master manipulator," he said, giving her hair a loving tug. Rosie peeled away and starting running around him in circles, joyous. Branch crossed his arms. "But we'll practice on the way."

He gave a smug grin as she came to an abrupt halt. "Daaad."

"Those are the terms," he said as he started walking again, veering off to the left trail that would take them past the new party pavilion and berry patches. "Go with them, or we go straight home."

Rosie twisted her hand in her hair, considering it, then she smiled. "Fine, but I get to eat all the berries I want!" She took off down the path, giggling as he stretched out a hand to try and catch her.

Branch chased after her. "Don't you dare, you'll ruin your appetite. That's not a part of the deal!"

This part of the forest wasn't as well developed as the rest of the valley, and it was on the outskirts of the trolls' main village. With the village continuing to grow, they kept expanding, but there were only a couple troll trees out here. Most of the trolls in the area were berry farmers or critter wranglers, and they waved or called out to Branch and Rosie as the pair rushed past.

Branch was laughing by the time he finally caught up with Rosie. He snatched up his youngest and tickled her, grinning at her happy shrieks.

"Okay, okay, okay!" she said, dancing away from him, "I won't eat too many berries."

"You can have a few," Branch conceded.

Rosie smiled and tucked her hand into his as they walked. She was fine with that, it worked for her. And if she was lucky, maybe her dad had totally forgotten about camouflage practice. It wasn't like she didn't try to camouflage just like everyone else. While it came naturally to most people, it definitely wasn't her strong point. In general, she wasn't very good at controlling her hair. But hey, she was an outstanding hugger, a great ice cream maker, and a very good soprano. At least she had a few things going for her.

"So, what are you and your friends getting ready for the show?" Branch asked. The younger trolls were holding a dance show in a few days to celebrate the opening of the new party pavilion, and Rosie had been very secretive about what she and her friends were doing.

"Can't say." She smirked and shrugged. "Nothing big." Which meant it was going to be an all-out extravaganza. Rosie never did anything by halves.

"I'll be prepared with a fire extinguisher."

"I haven't played with sparklers in two years!"

"Still..."

Rosie rolled her eyes. He was never going to let that go, was he? She was going to be hearing about it when she was old with white hair. Just because she had almost burnt down a set of troll pods while playing with sparklers on Friendship Day...

"Well, since we're not going to discuss your super secret dance plans, let's try some practice drills," he said, sounding way too enthusiastic about dodging and hiding.

Rosie knew better than to try to put it off anymore. Her parents were lenient but when they wanted their kids to do something, it practically always happened. So instead of complaining, Rosie put on a determined expression. "It's go time!" She pumped her fist in the air.

"Okay, then let's start with a rock." Branch watched as Rosie sat down on the ground, her hair forming up around her. However, instead of going grey and bumpy, her hair flashed to a bright yellow and red striped pattern and fuzzed out. She looked like a little puff ball. Branch tilted his head to the side and frowned, not exactly loving the idea of some big creature thinking of his daughter as a fuzzy snack. "That's...not really rock-like, sunshine."

"Let me do something else then," she said, peaking out from behind her hair.

"Mm...then try a brush bush." At least those were colorful and troll hair already looked a little like its spiky top.

Rosie ended up with light purple curls springing out from all over her head. It wasn't a match for the dark purple and green brush bush by a long shot.

"Well, purple is a good start," Branch said, going for an encouraging tone.

Rosie's hair brightened into its normal blue-purple-pink tri-color, and she put her hands on her hips. Now it was a challenge. "Give me another."

"A flower, then."

"Which one?"

"Your choice." That would give her a lot of options, at least. Branch watched as Rosie's hair grew straight up and formed a flower-esque shape. "There we go, that's it!"

Then her hair simply starting waving back and forth and fading between colors. Well. That was the exact opposite of hiding. That was basically a 'here I am, come eat me' signal.

"I'm trying," Rosie said as her hair shrank back down. She ground the ball of her right foot into the ground and looked a little embarrassed. "Really."

"I know," Branch said, holding open his arms. She raced over and hug-tackled him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He hugged her tight, snuggling her close. While he still wasn't that big into hugs, it was different with his family. He liked getting hugs from Poppy and the kids. And you know, that was about it, for the most part. He picked up Rosie and set her on his shoulders, unwilling to make her practice more when he could tell she had been trying so hard. "You'll get better at it." He hoped.

"Why can't I do it like everyone else can?" she asked, settling her arms on his head and squashing his hair down so she could see.

"We're all good at some things and not so good at others," Branch said, "Like your mom is good at being positive, and I'm good at being careful. But I'm not so good making parties or designing new buildings and your mom isn't...well there are things she would say she wasn't good at." But he wasn't going to get into that with Rosie.

"Like what?"

"Like...um...recognizing safe forest plants." That was a safe one to say, and it was true. Poppy wasn't exactly the best forest forager.

"Branch! Rosie!" Poppy's cheerful voice chimed through the forest, and they saw her appear farther up the pathway. She looked like she had been working for most of the day, her forehead and hair smeared with dirt and paint. While Branch had been overseeing a harvest in another part of the forest, Poppy had spent the day working on the new party pavilion.

Branch automatically smiled at the sight of his spazz-tastic wife as Rosie jumped off his shoulders and dashed to her mom. Poppy gave him a soft, warm smile in return.

"Mommy!" Rosie said, springing into her arms.

Poppy laughed and hugged her close before spinning her around. "My Rosie! Wanna go try out the new pavilion? We finished the floor today!" She looked over at Branch as he walked toward them. "We can break it in."

Branch leaned over and gave her a one-armed hug before kissing her quickly. "You just want to be able to claim 'first,'" he said, meaning she wanted to say that she was the first one to dance on the floor.

Poppy lifted her chin, but she was grinning like a kid. "It's a queen's prerogative to check out a dance floor and make sure it doesn't have any splinters. And, as my king, you have to come with me out of obligation." She bumped her hip against his, still holding Rosie in her arms. "Duh."

Branch gave a little, solemn bow, teasing Poppy. "As you wish, your majesty."

Poppy laughed. "Dork."

"Let's go!" Rosie shouted and wriggled to the ground, taking off the moment her toes touched the ground.

Branch held a hand out to Poppy, and she took it before the two of them went after their bouncy youngest.


	3. Chapter 3

The stars were starting to come out, twinkling overhead, when Branch, Poppy, and Rosie finally left the pavilion. DJ Suki and Guy Diamond had brought a picnic dinner out to them, so there had been no need to rush home, especially when Magnolia and Bramble would eat at the party before heading home. Branch was carrying an exhausted Rosie, who sleepily gestured up at the stars.

"Sky glitter," she mumbled, her head bouncing against her dad's shoulder, "So pretty."

Branch smiled a little as Poppy laughed and reached over to fluff Rosie's hair. "You're going to bed when we get home, sleepyhead." It seemed like all that wild energy of Rosie's had finally petered out.

"Not tired." Rosie's protest was undermined by an enormous yawn. Her forehead drooped forward, and her eyes were half-closed. "So awake."

"Yeah, I think that's a big fib," Branch said.

As they walked into the village proper, the sounds of evening celebrations and parties drifted out to meet them. Trolls were sitting around outside their pods and on terraces around their troll trees. Many of them were playing instruments while others sang along or danced to the beat.

Little ones raced around on bridges between the pods or swung through the branches using their hair. A few teenage types were skitterboarding while a bunch of younger adults were playing in a drum circle.

Trolls called out to Branch and Poppy as they passed by. Ever the social butterfly, Poppy darted around the groups, chattering and laughing, while Branch made his way to their home.

Poppy joined him once they got close to their tree, one hand landing on his arm as they stepped into the basket. Branch threw a switch and the basket began to rise, stopping only when it reached the platform outside of their house.

When they had gotten married, Branch and Poppy had been forced to come to a compromise. Poppy had insisted on a pod in a Troll Tree while Branch declared that the Bunker was a better option. Only by pointing out the fact that the Bergens weren't really an issue anymore did Poppy succeed in getting Branch to live above ground. He still wasn't a huge fan of pods, so they wound up with an extremely sturdy and well-hidden tree house.

Honestly, half of the village couldn't figure out where they lived, which pleased Branch to no end. Poppy, on the other hand, was often frustrated by it since any house parties they had always had to start late due to lost guests.

Rosie was fully asleep by the time they stepped into the house. Bramble and Magnolia were already home, playing each other in a game of berrysquash on the living room floor. While they liked to argue, Bramble and Magnolia still enjoyed playing games together and goofing off and occasionally ganging up against their parents. Sometimes arguments had to be set aside for the greater good, or even more important, the greater fun.

"Geez, Dad, what'd you do to Rosie?" Bramble asked, eyebrows raising as he looked over at his little sister, "There's a difference between practice and torture, you know."

"Ha ha," Branch said softly. He shifted Rosie and started walk back to her bedroom, but she lifted her head and then started squirming, suddenly awake.

"Don't want to go to sleep," she said, wriggling out of Branch's grip and scampering over to her brother and sister. She sat down on the couch behind them and instantly dug her fingers into the soft plush of the furniture, just in case her dad or mom got an idea about prying her off and sending her to bed.

"You slept most of the way here," Poppy said, one hand on her hip, "Don't you think it's bed time?"

"Ten more minutes," Rosie bargained, "Please? I wanna watch the game."

"We don't care if she stays," Bramble said.

"Five minutes, then it's right to bed," Poppy said. She shook her head at her kids and glanced over at Branch. After all these years, they could practically read each other's minds when it came to raising the kiddos. She knew he'd be okay with this five-minute bed time reprieve.

With the family settled, Poppy headed over to her crafting nook and started working on the invitations for the talent show at the new party pavilion. She only had, what, a hundred more to go? The troll village kept getting bigger, which was why they needed a new party pavilion in the first place.

Branch grabbed a book and settled down in a chair facing the door, his foot resting on his knee as he propped the book open. Old habits died hard, and he was still a survivalist at heart. He preferred looking toward a door than away from it, just in case some kind of threat came bursting in. Because hey, small threats were still dangerous ones.

Magnolia picked up one of her game pieces and moved it forward, bumping Bramble's piece out of the way. "Crossmark," she said, smirking in anticipation of victory, "Your move."

Bramble scowled and held up a hand as he considered the board. It looked like Magnolia was probably going to win in the next move, or she would if he didn't figure out some clever move to pull. He touched one of the pieces and glanced up at Magnolia. If he picked the one that would beat hers, her eyebrow would twitch. It was her tell. But he must have chosen wrong, since she just kept on smiling.

The game ended with Magnolia's practically inevitable success. Rosie had fallen asleep again, curled up like a little ball on the couch, head buried in a fluffy pillow. Bramble turned and poked her in the arm. "Hey, you little pink puffball, time for bed," he said. Her bright blue eyes squinted open, but then she rolled over and went back to sleep. "Okay, I tried," Bramble said, holding his hands up.

"That's not even trying," Magnolia said, and she reached over to shake Rosie's arm. "Rosie, get up! You have to go to bed."

"No, don't wanna olive, gross," Rosie mumbled. Without opening her eyes this time, she brushed away Magnolia's hand.

"Your turn, Dad," Bramble said, "We made valiant efforts."

Branch glance over the top of his book and raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah, I see you definitely did your best. Great job."

"Hey, I said it was just an effort, not a successful one," Bramble replied. He and Magnolia started setting up their board for a new game as Branch walked over and scooped up his youngest. Rosie flopped over his shoulder.

"Don't like olives," she grumbled in her sleep, one foot giving a weak little kick. Rosie was the worst when it came to sleep-talking. If you were careful, you could get her to carry on a whole conversation, which was something Bramble loved to do.

Branch was about to go up the stairs to carry Rosie her room when someone rapidly knocked on the front door. It was a little late for that, but it was definitely possible that someone was coming by to try and convince them to come to an impromptu party. That happened almost every other night.

"I'll get it," Bramble said, jumping up and racing for the door.

An orange troll stumbled in, wearing guard post gear. Nowadays, the trolls had guard posts scattered about their valley, thanks to Branch's doomsday-prepper nature. Yes, he was a happier troll and he wasn't grey anymore, but he still strongly believed in being ready for the worst. The guard, Fletcher, didn't look hurt, but she was certainly out of breath and her normally tidy hair was messy, full of twigs and leaves.

"Fletcher, what's wrong?" Poppy asked, instantly up from her table. Magnolia hurried over and got a glass of water from their elaborate pump system for the guard while the orange troll caught her breath.

"What is it? Is there a monster? Does it have giant teeth?" Bramble asked. He looked way more excited about the possibility of a troll-eating monster than he should have, which earned him frowns from both his parents. "Just asking..."

In Branch's arms, Rosie woke up, one elbow resting on Branch's shoulder. She noticed Fletcher and smiled a bit. "Hi!"

Fletcher glanced at the little troll but then she turned her attention to Branch and Poppy. "Big. Things." She took the glass of water from Magnolia and gulped half of it down. "They're enormous, twice the height of a Bergen."

"Where are they?" Branch demanded.

The orange troll took a deep breath, worry etched all over her face. "In the east side of the valley."


	4. Chapter 4

There was a long moment of shocked silence. Poppy and Branch looked at each other, knowing that this could change everything for their people.

"Maybe they're friendly?" Poppy said hopefully, "They could be nice, you know."

"Or they could be here because they heard there were tiny tasty trolls they could eat like popcorn," Branch retorted, always more willing to be pessimistic rather than optimistic. He immediately regretted it when Rosie stared at him in sudden fear. "Or, yeah, sure, they could be nice." Not likely at all.

"I don't know if they're friendly or not," Fletcher said, "No one's talked to them yet. We just know that they're enormous."

"Then let's go see!" Bramble exclaimed, looking far more excited than he should have, given the situation. "We can go give them a royal welcome or whatever." He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet at the prospect of seeing the giants.

Branch shook his head. "No way, you guys are staying here." He glanced over at Poppy, who was already wearing a stubborn look on her face. There was no way she was going to stay behind, not that he had been planning on asking her to. He had just hoped that she might decide to stay with the kids so he wouldn't have to worry so much. "Your mom and I will go check it out."

"Aw, Dad, c'mon," Bramble said, "I'm not a kid anymore."

"What? Yes, you are," Branch said, rolling his eyes. He set Rosie on her feet, and she automatically clung to his leg. "Look, we need you three to stay here while we go meet, um, the new people." The potentially carnivorous, deadly, dangerous, unknown element new people.

"Maggie, I need you to go get Guy Diamond and Suki and start warning people that we might need to go into Covert Party Mode," Poppy said. Covert Party Mode was the term the trolls used for camouflaging the entire Troll village and its outlying houses and farms. "We'll send someone to light the Tunnel Path." That was the new tunnel that led straight from the Valley to the Troll Tree in the middle of Bergen Town. Some of the trolls lived at that Troll Tree again, but most of them still lived in the Valley.

"What should I do?" Bramble asked.

"Look after your sister," Branch said, giving Rosie a gentle nudge toward her brother. "She can't camouflage, so you need to keep an eye on her."

"But I can help," Bramble protested, not exactly liking his job assignment.

Rosie bit her lip and put her hands on her hips. "I can _too_ camouflage!" As if to prove it, her hair sprung out into a fuzzy fluffball and lit up bright green and yellow.

"Um…" Branch rubbed the back of his neck. That was camouflage if you were trying to hide as a giant 'eat me' sign. "I think that still needs some work, sunshine."

"Fletcher, you're going to have to show us where these giants are," Poppy said, going into Queen-Mode, which made her a little more serious than usual. "We don't want people to panic, but we do need them to be prepared, just in case."

That made Branch's heart swell. Being prepared was his area of expertise, and he loved that his wife took a serious interest in being prepared nowadays. Being ready helped them handle situations like the one that was unfolding right now.

"You've got it, Poppy," Fletcher said, heading back to the door, "We'll be there in a jiff."

"Be safe," Branch said, looking at each of the kids in turn.

"Group hug for bravery!" Poppy said, gathering her daughters and son to her before dragging Branch over as well. They all hugged for a moment until Bramble squirmed away. He had inherited his father's general dislike of Hug Time.

Branch ruffled Rosie's hair as he passed, squeezing her hand when she reached up and grabbed his fingers. He gave Magnolia one last hug as Poppy kissed Bramble then Rosie, finally giving Magnolia a hug of her own.

"Tell us all about the giants!" Bramble shouted as Branch and Poppy took off after Fletcher, using their hair to swing through the trees. "Take notes!"

"I'll be back soon, Bramble," Magnolia said before she left, racing for the elevator that would lead her down to the forest floor so she could talk to the others.

"Can't we go with you?" Bramble said, following her out to the deck.

"No, Mom and Dad want you to stay here, so that's what you're going to do." She stepped into the elevator and pulled the lever to go down. "Take care of Rosie and stay out of trouble." The elevator shot down, and she disappeared into the foliage.

Bramble huffed and moved back from the railing. "Stay put. Don't go anywhere. Take care of Rosie." He said everything sarcastically and under his breath, annoyed that he wasn't allowed to do something more important than babysit. He looked over at Rosie, who was standing at the edge of deck, watching their parents through the trees.

Oh, hey. You could see the path that they had taken on their way to the giants since the trees were lighting up at they passed by. Huh, imagine that. It would be pretty easy to follow them…

"Hey, Rose, wanna go on an adventure?"


	5. Chapter 5

Hair-swinging was a super fast way to travel if you were a troll. Skitterboarding could be quick as well, but it just wasn't as speedy as whipping through the forest using your own long magic locks.

"What do these giants look like?" Poppy asked as she, Branch, and Fletcher headed deeper into the valley.

"Not super scary, but they're so tall and they had weapons and stuff," Fletcher said, "But they don't look like they'd eat us, if that helps."

"That's not enough to trust them," Branch said. Looks weren't everything. Sometimes the fluffiest, cutest things could unhinge their jaws and devour something twice their size. And if these things were so big, scooping up a handful of trolls and turning them into a troll pastry or troll-ish dessert wouldn't be too hard.

"We should at least try talking to them," Poppy said, "Maybe they're just passing through the valley."

"Or maybe they want to cut all the trees down and set up a spa where our home used to be," Branch said, just as optimistic as ever.

"Hey, a spa could be nice." Poppy smiled as Branch shot her a frown. "Kidding, you know I'm kidding."

As they made their way to the giants, Branch started going over evacuation routes and survival guides and back-up plans, to the point that Fletcher and Poppy tuned him out. Poppy was used to Branch reverting to this kind of behavior.

Back when she had told him they were going to have a kid the first time, he had gone straight into crazy-overprotective-overprepared dad mode. He had created a dozen scrapbooks about baby plans and child raising and everything they would need to do to take care a baby. Planning was one of his things, and it made him feel better, or at least it wouldn't do any good if she tried to stop his process.

So she just let Branch create plans while she thought about other possibilities. She wanted the giants to be nice and fun and exciting, not scary. Having big new friends would be great. Maybe they had their own kinds of music and parties and all sorts of stuff, and they could exchange cultural things. That would be amazing.

A campfire's glow flickered through the leaves of the forest, and Fletcher stopped on a branch above a clearing. She put one hand to the tree's trunk and pointed down at the ground below. Branch and Poppy peeked through the leaves to get a better look at the newcomers.

Geez, but they were tall. Twice the height of a Bergen, they were the height of some of the young trees and they had that same graceful, willow-y look about them. They all had long green hair with pointed ears, and just one of them could've stepped on about three grown-up trolls at a time. There were about fifteen of them sitting around a campfire, cooking something over the flames. It looked like a rabbit to Branch, which was a relief. At least it wasn't a Bergen or a troll…

There were two monstrous wagons there and six gargantuan creatures with four legs apiece, flowing hair on their necks and long tails. They were even bigger than the giants, and Branch had no idea why Fletcher hadn't mentioned them too.

Instinctively, Branch reached out and took hold of Poppy's hand. If she got a grand idea about jumping down there and introducing herself to the giants with a big welcoming fanfare, he was going to stop her. Even if he had to sit on her or something.

"They don't look so bad," Poppy said, "Look, they have little shoulder guitars."

"Those might be weapons," Branch said.

"But they're making music with them," Fletcher said. Obviously she was on Poppy's side about this whole strangers thing and didn't think they were as dangerous as Branch did.

Okay, so the giants could make music with sticks and weird guitars they rested on their shoulders. Making music didn't automatically mean they were nice people. "We should watch them for a while."

"Oooor, we could go say hi," Poppy suggested, glancing at Branch.

He shook his head. "We can do that if they don't seem too suspicious."

Poppy huffed. "You think everything's suspicious."

"Do not," Branch retorted, "I just happen to have a very good, healthy sense of danger."

"Uh, sure…"

Branch rolled his eyes at his wife, deciding that now wasn't the best time to get into an argument. "We should stay here and make sure they leave in the morning. If they don't, then we can figure it out from there." Whether that meant evacuating or doing something to make them leave. They could always flee to the Troll Tree in Bergen Town, but not everyone would love that plan.

"And if they don't seem to be troll-eating, home-stealing maniacs, we can introduce ourselves before they leave," Poppy said, her tone very definitive. She sat down on the edge of the branch and swung her legs back and forth. "Watch, I bet they're going to be really nice."

"They don't seem so bad," Fletcher said as she sat down by Poppy.

Branch plopped down on Poppy's other side, still holding onto her hand. He didn't say anything, instead settling for a serious frown. "We'll see."

"So ominous," Poppy teased, nudging him and mimicking his voice, "We'll seeee."

"Dork," Branch said, nudging her right back and then settling down to stare at the strangers.

* * *

Bramble and Rosie weren't far behind their parents. Riding along on a skitterboard together was taking a little longer, but Bramble had a particularly quick board. It raced along the treetop branches, and Bramble kept a good hold on Rosie so she wouldn't fall off.

Rosie, however, was having a grand time. She whooped excitedly as the skitterboard made the leap between one tree and the next, sending them sailing over open air. Their dad wouldn't let her board yet unless she was wearing a helmet, kneepads, elbowpads, and a padded jumpsuit. It was silly, and it made it impossible to board. This was way more fun.

"Shh," Bramble hushed her, "Someone might hear you."

"No one's nearby," Rosie replied, "We're following them, 'member?"

"Yeah, but we're not totally sure where they went…"

"Probably over there." She gestured off to the distance where firelight gleamed through the forest. It looked like a huge fire, as if the forest was burning. But if these were really big folk, they would definitely have a really big fire to keep them warm.

"We gotta be quiet, then," Bramble said, grinning. Here he was, going to spy on the giants just like his parents. It was like being a hero in the stories he liked to read. Sort of like Grandpeppy, who had rescued all the trolls a long time ago. Or like his own mom and dad, who had re-rescued the trolls and got the Bergens to stop trying to eat them. He wanted to be a hero like that, and that definitely wasn't going to happen if he had to stay back at the village and be bored out of his mind watching Rosie, like he was some kind of little kid.

They rode the skitterboard over to the edge of the clearing and then the two of them climbed off, sneaking into some bushes and grass. Bramble grew his hair out and let it shade into the same color as their hiding place. "Don't do anything with your hair," he told Rosie just as her hair started to lighten to neon purple all the way.

"Just practicing," she said with a pout, but her hair faded back to its normal tri-color. She pushed back some of the grass blades and looked out at the giants while Bramble leaned over her and peered as well.

"They're weird looking," Bramble finally declared.

"What're they eating?" Rosie asked, looking at the thing over the fire. Trolls didn't eat meat, but the Bergens did. Her friend Princess Petalina sometimes offered her pizza with something called pepperonis on it, but Rosie always pulled those off.

"I dunno," Bramble whispered back.

"They're enormous," Rosie said, shaking her head. It was like watching trees walk around. "Why're they here?"

"If I knew that, I would've told mom and dad," Bramble hissed back.

Rosie stuck her tongue out at Bramble. "Don't get your hair in a twist."

"Hush, Rosie."

They watched the giants together for a while, but eventually Rosie curled up on a patch of moss and fell asleep. She bunched her hair up and used it as a pillow, her cheek cushioned on the massive floof. As time wore on and the giants played soft music and talking quietly, Bramble found himself nodding off.

When he woke up, it was around dawn and there was an enormous pair of brown eyes looking down at him. "Well, what do we have here?" The giant smiled, displaying all its bright shiny teeth.

"AHHH!" Bramble yelled at the top of his lungs and jumped to his feet, his hair spiking out to make him look bigger and more dangerous.

The giant reached toward him. "Calm down, little thing…" That only made Bramble freak out more.

Rosie woke up to his shouting and her hair responded in its usual way. It flailed about and flashed yellow and green and then glowed. She squeaked and sprang up as Bramble grabbed her hand and ran, tugging her along behind him. Bramble's hair darkened until it was the same color as the shadows and forest floor, but Rosie's hair wouldn't calm down. It kept changing colors and waving about, letting the giant know where they were. They needed to hide, they had to get away.

Bramble spotted a hole in the base of a tree and he raced for it, pulling Rosie along behind them. He leaped into the hole and yanked Rosie with him, but then something pulled her back. The giant had pinched the back of Rosie's dress and lifted her up.

"Bramble!" she shrieked.

"Rosie!" he yelled as her hands slipped from his, making him fall back further. The giant snatched her up and was already moving away by the time Bramble could climb back out of the hole. "Rosie!"

What was he going to do?!


	6. Chapter 6

_Thirty Minutes Earlier._

* * *

 

"They officially don't seem so bad to me," Poppy declared.

She and Branch were sitting side by side, tiredly watching the giants while Fletcher caught a nap on the tree branch above them. So far, the giants hadn't done much besides eat, play music, and sleep, which Poppy chalked up as perfectly acceptable behavior. Sure, it would've been great if they threw a couple hug times and maybe a dance off in there, but hey, not everyone was as party-minded as trolls.

"I'm not sold on the idea," Branch said.

"Why am I not surprised," said Poppy, more amused than frustrated. Branch's insistence on caution was a good balance to her own belief in giving people the benefit of the doubt. She had realized that a long time ago. Still, she didn't see what he could possibly hold against these guys, besides the fact that they were enormous.

Branch was about to explain his reasons to Poppy when a blur of green and pink exploded from the forest behind them. Magnolia caught a branch with her hair, swung around once to slow down, and then dropped down beside Poppy.

"Are Bramble and Rosie here?! Did they come here?!" she looked around frantically. Her normally well-coiffed hair was askew and wild, and her braid was coming undone.

Poppy and Branch stood up immediately and exchanged a look of alarm.

Meanwhile, above them, Fletcher sat up and looked over the edge of the branch. "Wazzat? Shhh…"

Poppy put her hand on Magnolia's arm, trying not to become as panicked as her eldest. "Maggie, what's going on?

Branch grabbed one of her hands. "Calm down, Maggie…"

"I can't find them! Are they here?"

"What do you mean, are Bramble and Rosie here?" Branch said.

Magnolia tugged at her light pink hair and shook her head. "I can't find Bramble and Rosie! They're not anywhere, no one's seen them in the village." She looked around and then raced toward the tree trunk, peeking into a hole in the wood. "Are you sure they're not here?"

"We haven't seen them," Poppy said. Her eyes widened and she whirled toward Branch. "Maybe they went to Bergen Town? Maybe they're with Cloud Guy? Or in your old bunker?"

"We checked the tunnels and Cloud Guy and the bunker," Magnolia said. She was up on the next branch, looking under leaves. Fletcher got up and moved out of her way as she dashed past. "I swear, I looked everywhere."

"I don't mean to sound harsh, sweetheart, but you can't have looked everywhere because they have to be _somewhere_ ," Branch said, his tone as gentle as he could make it under the circumstances. His two youngest were missing, and apparently no one had any idea where they were. They needed to form search parties and check every single hiding spot and look in places that had already been checked just in case.

"I thought they might be here because Bramble wanted to come with you," Magnolia said, sounding as if she might cry.

Poppy gave her a tight, quick hug. "We haven't seen them..." She whirled around to look at Branch. "What if they tried to come here but got lost on the way?"

"They could be anywhere between here and the village," Branch said, thinking on the endless amount of places between the two places. "We need to start looking right now." He glanced at the camp of sleeping giants. They would have to worry about them later, after the kids were found.

"Let's spread out and head back toward home," Poppy said. She had a determined expression on her face. "Maggie, you stay with me, okay?"

"Yes, mom," Magnolia said. The two of them took off, swinging through the forest.

"I'll take the middle if you go towards the left," Branch said. At least if they were lost and not hiding, it would be easy to spot Rosie. With her unmanageable hair, she was easy to pick out.

"You've got it, boss," Fletcher said with a little salute before disappearing into the forest.

Branch took a deep breath, trying to ignore the rampant slew of worry that was raging through his mind, telling him all the terrible things that could've happened to Bramble and Rosie. They had to find them, safe and sound. He started back toward the village, his eyes on the ground, looking for pink and blue.

He was checking in a hollowed-out log when he heard a familiar voice yelling. "Dad! DAD! DAAADD! MOOOM! HELP!"

"Bramble!" Branch shouted, climbing out of the log. He tried to figure out where his son's voice was coming from, his gaze flitting around the forest rapidly. He yelled Bramble's name louder, his hands cupped around his mouth to amplify the sound.

Suddenly the green and blue troll came racing through the underbrush on his skitterboard, looking absolutely terrified and minus one little pink troll. "They got Rosie, you gotta help me!"

Branch's heart plummeted. Bramble couldn't mean… "What?"

Bramble raced up to him and grabbed his arm, pulling him back in the direction Branch had just come from. No…no, come on, not that, not Rosie. Not his little girl.

"Bramble, where's your sister?"

"One of them took her! We just wanted to see the giants, I didn't want this to happen, I'm really sorry, Dad!"

There wasn't any time to waste. Branch's mind whirled, trying to figure out a plan, a way to fix this. He knew something bad was going to happen, he should've sent the kids to Bergen Town, he should have been prepared. "Go, go get your mom, she went that way!" he said, gesturing Poppy's direction and already racing back toward the giants' camp.

He wasn't going to be too late. He was going to get there in time to find Rosie safe and sound and get her back before anything could happen to her. Dashing through the treetops, he put on an extra burst of speed. There was no way he was going to let something terrible happen to his kid.

But when he got back to the clearing, the wagons and enormous animals and giants were all gone. He dropped down to the ground where they had been and turned around in a circle. "Rose!" he shouted, "Rosie!"

When she didn't appear, he covered his face with his hands. He had to get her back, he had to believe that she wasn't…that she was all right.

"Daddy? Are you okay?"

Gasping, Branch looked up. Rosie was standing in front of him, her dress muddy and smudged with grass stains and twigs all in her hair. She was leaning a little to her left, favoring her right foot a bit. He instantly snatched her up and hugged her close, running his hand over her slightly darkened hair.

"You're squishing me…"

"I thought you were gone," he said, pulling back so he could look at her, "What happened? How'd you get away?"

"I crawled out of a bag and jumped into a bush," she said. Her lower lip poked out. "My foot hurts."

"Good girl." Branch squeezed Rosie to him again, grateful that the only thing that was hurt was her foot. They could fix her foot. That was easy. He kissed her forehead and held her tight.


	7. Chapter 7

When Branch and Rosie met up with Poppy, Magnolia, and Bramble, a long family hug commenced. Poppy wouldn't let go of Rosie for a long time and insisted on carrying her the rest of the way back to the village. Magnolia fussed and scolded gently as she walked beside her mother and little sister, at least until Rosie fell asleep.

Branch and Bramble walked in front of everyone, tension tightening between the two of them.

"I know it's my fault," Bramble finally said, "You don't have to say it."

"I didn't say anything," Branch said, his tone even and flat.

"But you were thinking it," Bramble said, "And I'm sorry."

"I know you are." Branch looked over at his son. "But you both could have been hurt or killed, and Rosie was almost captured. Who knows what would've happened to her if she hadn't gotten away." He didn't like thinking about it at all. They still didn't know why the giant had taken Rosie or what it had meant to do with her.

"I know, I know," Bramble said. He brushed a piece of bark off his arm and looked away. "I just…you wouldn't take me with you, and you knew I wanted to go."

Branch stopped, his temper flaring as he turned toward Bramble. "I told you to stay behind to keep you and your sister safe! And look what happened when you didn't obey me!"

"I didn't mean for it to happen," Bramble snapped back. "I said I was sorry!"

"It doesn't matter that you didn't _mean_ for anything to happen," Branch replied. "Rosie's hurt. Something did happen, and it wouldn't have it you had done what we asked."

"Boys…" Poppy said, stepping toward them, her tone bright but warning. "This isn't a good time to fight." In her arms, Rosie stirred and lifted her head.

"You don't have to treat me like a kid," Bramble said, looking at his parents.

"But you are still a kid," Poppy said gently, "And on top of that, you're _our_ kid."

"You almost got captured," Magnolia said, sounding far less kind and understanding, "And you almost got Rosie killed. You just wanted to be a hero, Bramble, and you went about it the wrong way."

"No one asked you, Maggie," Bramble said. He looked at his family, his jaw trembling a little as he looked at Rosie and then his mom. "I just wanted to help. Really." He sniffled a bit and then took off, running through the underbrush back toward the village.

"Don't go far!" Branch yelled, his eyes widening with concern.

"I'll go get him," Magnolia said, rolling her eyes.

"Just keep an eye on him," Branch said, sighing. "Go straight to the village and go ask Dr. Plimsy if she can come by our house." Someone needed to take a look at Rosie's foot.

When Magnolia had left, he turned toward Poppy and took Rosie from her. "It's not Bramble's fault," she said quietly, "I wanted to go."

"Go to sleep, Rose," Branch said, patting her on the back. He was pretty sure she had been punished enough for going along with her brother. Their youngest rested her head on his shoulder and nodded off again. It had been eventful morning for her, to say the least.

"Don't be so hard on Bramble," Poppy said, reaching out to touch Branch's back, "I know you were scared, but so was he. So were all of us."

"But if he hadn't come out here, we wouldn't have to be as worried," Branch said. "I just wish he wasn't so reckless sometimes."

"Sorry, I think he gets that from me," Poppy said, grinning a little.

"You're not that bad."

"I went off to go save all my friends from troll-eating Bergens without a plan."

"Okay, so maybe you are that bad," Branch teased. Poppy always knew the right thing to make him feel better. He just wished that Bramble would use his head more often. It worried him that his son was as brave as he was, especially when he just rushed into things and pulled others along with him. "I'll talk to him again later."

Poppy leaned over and kissed his cheek before running her hand through Rosie's hair. "I'm just glad everyone's all right."

Yeah, he was too, especially when he was expecting things to have gone so much worse. He hugged Rosie to him again, feeling comforted when she mumbled something in his ear. He wasn't going to be letting her out of his sight for a looong time, if he could possibly help it.

When they reached the village, trolls met them by the dozens, waking up Rosie with their worries.

"Where are the giants?"

"Are we going to be all right?"

"Do we need more glitter?!"

"Do they like parties?"

Poppy held up her hands and stood in front of Branch. "Everyone, calm down!" she yelled out over the noise. "We're still figuring out the giants, but for now, they've left this part of the valley!"

"Are they coming back?" someone asked.

"We're not sure yet," Poppy said, and there was a collective groan, "We're just going to have to keep an eye on everything."

"Is Rosie okay?" Biggie asked. The giant troll had waded through the crowd and was now standing beside Branch and Poppy. Most of the Snack Pack had made their way over and were hovering nearby, ready to help in whatever way was needed.

Rosie gave Biggie a little wave, and Branch nodded. "She hurt her foot, but it'll be okay."

"The doctor is already at your house," DJ Suki told Poppy, "Magnolia went and got her."

"We can help," Satin and Chenille said together.

Satin gave Poppy a quick hug. "You look tired, girl."

"A nap would be great," Poppy said, stifling a yawn. She and Branch had been awake all night, and while she was used to pulling all-nighters, she was used to partying while doing so. Last night had been long and worrisome, not happy and exciting.

"I'm going to go find Magnolia and Bramble," Branch said, handing Rosie over to Poppy again. He knew they were probably in the village already, but he wanted to be able to keep his eyes on them right now.

"They're both already at the house with Guy Diamond and Cooper," DJ Suki said, "They went there after getting Plum."

"Ah, got it," Branch said, giving a tired nod. He wanted the doctor to look at Rosie and then he wanted to sleep for at least a few hours. "We need to post a guard around the village…"

"Are we in danger?" Biggie asked.

"We'll handle it," DJ said, "You guys just go home."

That sounded like a good idea to Branch and Poppy.


	8. Chapter 8

"Welp, it's not broken," Dr. Plum Plimsy said as she looked up from examining Rosie's ankle at her spot on the edge of Rosie's bed. Branch and Poppy both sighed in relief, and Rosie smiled.

"Good!" she said, and then wrinkled her nose as she wriggled her toes. "How come it still hurts?"

"Because it's still badly sprained," the doctor said, "So you'll have to stay off it for a while. At least a couple weeks, at the least, so it'll heal completely."

"No dance parties?" she asked, as if that fate was the worst thing in the entire world.

"No dance parties," Dr. Plimsy said, shaking her head, "Or running, or jumping, or bouncing around."

Rosie sunk back into the pillows and looked up at the ceiling, her face contorted with dramatic despair. "My life is oooover."

"I think you'll survive," Branch said. He was just happy to hear that Rosie was better off than he thought she would be. He had been certain that her ankle was broken.

"Poor baby," Poppy cooed, obviously on Rosie's side. It did sound like a disaster, not being able to dance or do anything fun. She was sitting on the other side of Rosie's bed, and she looped an arm around her youngest and pulled her close, comforting her.

"She can still read and draw and other things," Branch said, not really getting why this was such a big deal, "And scrapbook."

"But the new dance pavilion!" Rosie exclaimed.

Oh, yeah, that…

"You can watch everyone dance," Magnolia said. She was sitting on a mushroom puff in the corner of the room. "We'll get you a cool chair and everything."

Rosie looked floored. "You can't just _watch_ people dance, Magnolia! What kinda craziness is that?!"

"We'll figure something out," Poppy said, rubbing Rosie's arm, "I promise."

"Okay…" Rosie said, giving a little sniff.

"You should get some sleep," Dr. Plimsy said, bouncing up from the bedside, "I heard you had a long night." She glanced around the room at the rest of the family, judging that they were all exhausted by the dark circles under their eyes. In the corner, Bramble shrunk down and looked away. "Actually, I prescribe naps for the whole family! Go to bed!"

"There's too much to do," Branch protested, "We've got to figure out a plan of action. We've got bigger problems than lack of sleep!"

"I think you'll do all of that better on a few hours of intense napping," Dr. Plimsy said, "I'll make lavender tea for everyone!" She grinned and headed out of the room, walking toward their kitchen area.

"She has a point," Poppy said. Her hair was drooping and she looked like she might fall asleep right there as she cuddled Rosie close again. "A few hours of sleep won't hurt anything, especially if the giants are gone, like you said."

"But they could come back," Branch said. "You and the kids should get some sleep. I can't sleep yet."

Poppy stood up and made a face at him. "If you don't sleep, you'll get extra paranoid."

"That's true, Dad," Magnolia said.

"I will not," Branch said indignantly, "I'm always the perfect level of paranoid, thank you, very much."

Poppy and Magnolia shared a look while Rosie gave a sleepy giggle. Bramble was the only one who didn't join in on the joke. Instead, he got up and headed for the door, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"I'm…I'll go to bed," he said before ducking out of the door.

Branch sighed. Maybe he had been a little too hard on Bramble earlier. It wasn't like he had meant for anything to happen to Rosie or himself, he just hadn't thought before he acted. Branch glanced up to see Poppy giving him a small smile before she nodded to the door, a silent indication for him to follow Bramble. Branch walked over and kissed Rosie's forehead.

"Get some sleep, sunshine," he said.

"Mm'kay." She yawned and curled up against Poppy.

"Are you going to nap in here, Maggie?" he said, looking over at his oldest. She shrugged.

"I think I'll get some tea from Dr. Plimsy first and then go to my room," she said.

"All right, sleep well, when you do sleep."

Branch walked out of the room and up the stairs to Bramble's room. It was near the top of the tree house, looking out over one of the skitterboard skate parks. There was even a ladder there for Bramble if he wanted to leave straight from his room. Branch knocked on the doorframe and then let himself in.

Bramble was sitting against the headboard of his bed, his legs wrapped around his knees. He glanced up at Branch and then looked away. "I didn't mean for her to get hurt. Honest. I'm sorry."

"I know." Branch sat down on the edge of Bramble's bed. "Just…I want you to use your head next time, okay? Take a few minutes before rushing into something like that." He reached over and tousled Bramble's blue hair. "You both could've been seriously hurt."

"Yeah…" Bramble looked up cautiously. "So, what are we going to do about the giants?"

" _We_ aren't going to do anything," Branch said, rolling his eyes. "Your mom and I will figure something out. We always do."

"But we've never had giants before," Bramble said, "Maybe they won't come back."

"That'd be great, wouldn't it?" Branch stood up, wishing that they didn't have to worry about enormous intruders or anything. "Look, get some sleep, okay? I'll get Maggie to bring you up some tea on her way to bed."

"You need sleep to," Bramble said, giving a very hesitant smile, "Otherwise you'll start overplanning and making a big deal out of everything and acting super paranoid—"

"Go to bed, Bramble!"


	9. Chapter 9

The family slept for most of the day while other trolls kept guard around the village and in the valley, making sure that the strange giants didn't come back. A few of the more adventurous ones even followed down the path that the giants had left through, and others went to Bergen Town to tell everyone there what had happened.

Around sunset, Poppy woke up to find Branch gone. Of cooourse he had already gotten up and left her sleeping. He was probably already making escape plans and defense plans and all sorts of things. Preparedness was his middle name. Or it was if "Bergens are Coming" wasn't already his middle name.

She considered rolling over and sleeping for a little longer, but she knew that Branch probably needed her to calm him down. If someone didn't soothe his anxiety, if would get out of control. Plus, she did want to check on the kids, especially Rosie.

Rolling out of bed, she stretched and headed out into the hallway, her crazy bedhead straightening itself out as she walked. By the time she reached the living room, her bright pink hair was back to its normal straight fluff.

Branch was sitting at the table, looking at a map of the valley, with Bramble sitting beside him. It looked like the two of them had reconciled, at least to a point, which made Poppy smile. Good, she hated it when her family was fighting.

"Sooo, how's it going?" she said as she walked over and bent down to hug Branch from behind. He reached up and patted her arm in an absent-minded way.

"We're figuring out how to defend the village," Bramble said, sounding very official for a teenage troll. "I think we should put boobytraps right here." He pointed to a spot in the forest near the most likely path the giants would take if they were trying to find the village.

"We could dig pits," Branch said, "Big pits."

"Very big," Bramble said with a nod.

"You know, they might not even come back," Poppy said, trying to add some realism to her husband and son's plans, "It might have been a fluke that they were ever here in the first place, you know?" She held up her hands as they both stared at her. "I mean, I think we should prepare, but we shouldn't go overboard." She put a hand on her hip and looked pointedly at Branch. "Right, Mr. Overly-Prepared-Bunker-Guy?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Branch said, suddenly very interested in the map in front of him.

"Okay, Mr. I'd-Drink-My-Own-Sweat…"

"Ew, Dad, she's joking, right?" Magnolia's voice drifted into the room before she did, a look of utter disgust on her face.

Beside Branch, Bramble was looking at his dad with pride. "That is awesome…"

"No, it's not," Magnolia protested. She sat down at the table and peered over at the map. "What're you guys doing?"

"Protecting the valley," Bramble said proudly, "We're creating traps."

"Should we talk to King Gristle and get his help, too?" Magnolia said, "Since Bergens are bigger than us and everything, they could help a lot."

"Are you saying that Bergens are better than Trolls?" Bramble asked, his eyebrows raised, eyes narrowed.

"Did I say anything like that?" Magnolia asked. She unbraided her hair, which allowed it to explode into a poof of pink fuzz, and then she started combing it out with her favorite pearl-handled comb. "I'm just saying that their height could be useful."

"We're already talking to them about helping," Branch said, "So it is a good idea, Magnolia."

"Just not an original one," Bramble said, sticking his tongue out at his sister.

A tendril of her hair twisted into a rope and flicked him on the shoulder. "Be quiet, Bramble."

"Kids…" Poppy said, a strained happy warning in her voice, "Don't start now, okay?"

"Fine." "Okay, but she started it."

Poppy rolled her eyes at the children and then crossed out of the living room and out onto the veranda. Below their treehouse, the troll village was starting to come alive with nightlights and glow bugs and luminescent mushrooms. There was a bit of fear in the air since no one was sure about how their new problem was going to be handled, but it was mostly just a subtle feeling of unease. Poppy leaned against the railing, or she did until Branch's hair looped around her waist and pulled her back.

"I don't like it when you do that," he said.

"Do what?"

"Lean against the railing," he said, "It could break or bust or you could lose your balance."

Poppy laughed. "There are nets. And I have my hair. And, remember, I'm practically indestructible."

"Yeah, see, practically doesn't mean definitely."

Poppy grinned and stole a kiss from her silly, overprotective husband before pulling back and resting her hands on his face. "You're really worried about the giants, aren't you?"

"How could you tell?" he said, a blush coloring his greenish-blue cheeks.

"You always get extra protective when you're worried. Remember that time we had a bumblebee invasion, and you decided to wrap the kids up in bark armor?"

"Can we not relive that," Branch said, a slightly haunted note to his voice. He hugged her to him. "I just want to make sure that we'll all be safe if they decide to come back." Shaking his head, he met her eyes. "I thought they had taken Rosie… I need to make sure that doesn't happen, and that they don't take anyone else." He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers. "Okay?"

"Okay, but don't stress yourself out," Poppy said, rubbing her nose against his. She pulled back. "Don't go all bunker-Branch on me."

"What was wrong with bunker-Branch?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Poppy made a face and then gave a huge, dramatic frown before deepening her voice. "Hi, I'm bunker-Branch, and I'm antisocial and hate hugs, and I think Poppy's ridiculous, and I want everything fun to go die in a pit…"

Branch reached out and covered her mouth to stop her from continuing, though he was laughing. "I wasn't that bad!"

"Oh yes you were," she said when she pulled his hand off her mouth. "So grumpy."

"Dad!" came a yell from inside the house, "Magnolia won't let me have the map."

"He's been looking at it for hours," Magnolia replied.

"Give it back!"

"I'm hungry!" That was Rosie's more muffled voice. A second later, she burst out into a made-up song about how hungry she was, hungry enough to eat a stink bug or a fly or an earthworm.

The job of being parents was extremely full time… "I think I'm going to revert to bunker-Branch."

"Oh no you're not."


End file.
